Battle of Mos Espa

Outcome

Fett gotra victory^[2]
- Pyke Syndicate falls back from Mos Espa^[2]
Mos Espa is partially destroyed^[2]

Combatants
Fett gotra^[2] Freetown garrison^[2] Clan Mudhorn^[2]	Pyke Syndicate^[2] Aqualish crime family^[2] Tatooine Klatooinian family^[2] Trandoshan family^[2]

Commanders
Daimyo Boba Fett^[2] Taanti^[2] Din Djarin^[2]	Unidentified Pyke boss^[2] Unidentified Pyke capo†^[2] Cad Bane†^[2] Mayor Mok Shaiz^[2] Garfalaquox^[2] Dokk Strassi^[2] A Klatooinian don^[2]

Units
Freetown garrison^[2] Mods^[2]

Strength
1 crime lord^[2] Boba Fett^[2] 1 assassin^[2] Master Assassin Fennec Shand^[2] 1 rancor^[2] 2 bounty hunters^[2] Din Djarin^[2] Krrsantan^[2] Freetown residents^[2] Taanti^[2] Jo^[2] 2 Gamorrean Warriors†^[2] Mods^[2] Skad^[2] Drash^[2] 1 engineer^[2] Peli Motto^[2] 1 Force-sensitive Mandalorian^[2] Din Grogu^[2]	Pyke Syndicate Foot Soldiers^[2] Trandoshans^[2] Klatooinians^[2] Aqualish^[2] 2 Scorpenek annihilator droids^[2] 1 bounty hunter^[2] Cad Bane†^[2]

Casualties
Unidentified Gamorrean guard 1^[2] Unidentified Gamorrean guard 2^[2] Three Mods^[2] At least one Freetown fighter^[2]	Around half of the Pyke forces^[2] Several Pyke soldiers^[2] The Pyke capo^[2] Cad Bane^[2] Both Scorpenek droids^[2] Several Trandoshans^[2] Several Aqualish^[2] Several Klatooinians^[2]

"I've known you a long time, Boba. One thing I can't figure. What's your angle?"
"This is my city. These are my people. I will not abandon them."

―Cad Bane and Boba Fett^[2]

The Battle of Mos Espa,^[4]^[5] also known as the Battle for Mos Espa,^[6] the showdown on Tatooine, or the Mos Espa turf war,^[7] occurred between the Fett gotra and the Pyke Syndicate during the war against the Pykes.^[2]

Prelude[]

After the Pyke Syndicate bombed Garsa Fwip's Sanctuary, Boba Fett and his enforcers Fennec Shand, Din Djarin, Krrsantan, his two Gamorrean guards and the Mods took their positions around the city of Mos Espa in preparation for the oncoming battle. Fett, Shand, and Djarin took defensive stance at the ruined remains of the Sanctuary, anticipating the arrival of the citizens of Freetown to reinforce them soon, as Cobb Vanth opposed the spice trade.^[2]

Fett was soon greeted by his former mentor Cad Bane, who was working on behalf of the Pykes to persuade Fett to surrender and allow the Pykes to continue the spice trade on Tatooine. He told Fett that he had dealt with the people of Freetown and their sheriff, telling him that there was no one coming to help him. He also revealed that the Pykes were responsible for the massacre of the Tusken Raider tribe that had taken Fett in after his escape for the sarlacc pit. Fett kept his composure and told Bane that the Pyke presence would not be tolerated. Bane stalked away, saying that if he did not surrender, then he and his forces would be crushed.^[2]

The battle[]

Fett weighed his options with Shand and Djarin, but they soon received multiple distress calls from their other gotra forces informing them that the three crime families that Fett had negotiated a truce with had turned on them, as they secretly opposed Fett's rule due to him limiting their choices of revenue and wanting to fill the power vacuum that would emerge with his disposal.^[2]

The Aqualish family engaged the Mods in the alleys of Mos Espa, the Trandoshan family fought Krrsantan in the streets while the Klatooinians killed Boba's Gamorrean guards at the upper sprawl. As Fett was informed of the situation, he asked Shaiz's majordomo where the syndicate operated out of. In his usual response, the majordomo tried to evade the answer, only for Shand to threaten to shoot him, so he told them that they were operating out of the Desert Survey Office in Mos Eisley. Fett ordered Shand to go there to assassinate them, while he and the others would fend the syndicate off.^[2]

Krrsantan was initially overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Trandoshans while the Mods were nearly overrun by the Aqualish, but Shand answered their call and slew most of the Aqualish attackers, forcing them to retreat. Shand then told the surviving Mods to head to Sanctuary before leaving the town. Likewise, Krrsantan was able to defeat the Trandoshans and made his way to Sanctuary.^[2]

Back at Sanctuary, the Pykes emerged, with an Pyke capo demanding Fett's surrender. The majordomo offered to surrender in Fett's place, and he agreed, writing what he thought was surrender terms. When he came out to meet the capo, he only then discovered that Fett did not make any concessions and tried to change the subject to no avail. Fett and Djarin then appeared, having used the majordomo as a distraction. They slew many Pykes, and while they managed to get a several shots on them, their beskar armor protected them from serious injuries, though they were nearly overwhelmed from the sheer amount of enemies. However, the Pykes were forced to retreat when the people of Freetown came to help them along with Fett's remaining forces; the people of Freetown had been angered at how Vanth was shot in cold blood and knew that the spice trade would harm the planet.^[2]

The Pykes then deployed two Scorpenek annihilator droids to resume their offensive. Due to the droids' shielding and wanting to avoid collateral damage to the town, Fett left for his palace to get his rancor while tasking Djarin with protecting their forces. Djarin managed to distract one droid while another went for the remaining forces. Fett returned with his rancor and with the help of Djarin and Grogu, managed to destroy the droid chasing them. Meanwhile, the Mods and Freetown forces managed to inflict sizeable casualties onto the Pykes before Fett arrived and destroyed the other droid.^[2]

Fett and the rancor proceeded to kill a few more Pykes before Bane appeared and scared the rancor off with his flamethrowers. Bane initially had the upper hand on Fett, but Fett was able to recover and slew him with his Gaderffii stick. Djarin tried to calm Fett's rancor down, who had gone on a rampage and was further exacerbated by the Mods and Freetown forces firing on it. He was unsuccessful in doing so, but Grogu managed to use The Force to lull the rancor into sleep, concluding the battle.^[2]